Ther
e are moments in your life that can serve as great catalysts for action. They can but they often don’t. Life is all too eager to give you the chance to change your level of health and fitness. Sooner or later you need to grab the baton and run your leg of that relay race. Let me introduce a few of those “straws that almost broke the camel’s back.”
You walked into the office holiday party and began chewing the fat with all your favorite colleagues. You grabbed a plate of food and found a seat with all your friends at one of the tables in the ballroom. It was the perfect setting for a great time. Then it happened; your chair cracked and you tumbled to the floor.
Everyone was staring at you. Your friends helped you to your feet. The damage was done. You were mortified and you knew that everyone was keenly aware that you were 150 pounds overweight. That chair wouldn’t have crumbled had you been a respectable weight. You swore you would begin a fitness program the next day and lose all that excess baggage. It should have been that last straw, but it wasn’t.
You were enjoying beers with all the classmates from the class of 1990. It’s been a long time since the ole gang got together to wax nostalgic. A game of basketball became the focal piece of the afternoon at the park on that warm Saturday in June. Ten minutes into the game you were feeling winded and dizzy.
You requested a break and there were no objections to a timeout for a few pulls off of those cans of Bud Light. However, you were finished for the day. Your buddies continued to play while you watched from the lawn chair. You fully intended to quit smoking after that weekend. It should have been the last straw, but it wasn’t.
It was the grand opening of the new boutique hotel in downtown. It was the big kickoff party to the summer too. The boys spent plenty of time and money finding the perfect swimsuits for the new season of water sports. It proved to be a wild time. It looked like a cover shoot for Model Magazine. You didn’t dare to even take off your shirt that day.
You informed the boys of some lame excuse so you weren’t chastised too badly for keeping your body covered that day. You were simply too embarrassed to show off your physique that lacked any tone. You even scheduled an appointment for the following week with a fitness counselor to discuss a program. You never made it to that appointment. It should have been the last straw, but it wasn’t.
Over and over this scenario repeats itself in towns and hamlets across this great land. These moments are all too willing to serve as stepping stones to improvements in our health and fitness. Howard Beale came upon his straw that broke the camel’s back in the mid 1970s. It’s your turn to exclaim “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
This wellness article is brought to you by that guy who votes nay to any more political ads. That guy is Ron Blake and he approves this article. You can cast your vote for Ron at rblake5551@hotmail.com.
